Donate
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Suquamish Tribe joins NY in approving same-sex marriages

KNKX Public Radio | By The Associated Press
Published August 2, 2011 at 10:36 AM PDT
The Suquamish Tribe will allow same-sex marriage to couple when at least one of them is an enrolled member of the tribe. Pictured: Kitty Lambert, right, and Cheryle Rudd are married in Niagara Falls, N.Y., on July 23.
Associated Press
The Suquamish Tribe will allow same-sex marriage to couple when at least one of them is an enrolled member of the tribe. Pictured: Kitty Lambert, right, and Cheryle Rudd are married in Niagara Falls, N.Y., on July 23.

BREMERTON, Wash. – The Suquamish Tribal Council voted Monday to extend marriage rights to same-sex couples.

The Kitsap Sun reports the new law allows the tribal court to issue a marriage license to two unmarried people, regardless of their sex, if they are at least 18 years old and at least one of them is an enrolled member of the Suquamish Tribe.

The council voted at the request of Heather Purser, a 28-year-old who has been trying to have the tribe's law changed for about four years. She says she hopes the change may encourage some members to feel more comfortable publicly acknowledging their homosexuality.

The Suquamish are the people of Chief Seattle. The Port Madison Reservation in Kitsap County has about 6,500 residents.

 
Tags
Other News gay rightssame sex marriage
The Associated Press
The Associated Press (“AP”) is the essential global news network, delivering fast, unbiased news from every corner of the world to all media platforms and formats. On any given day, more than half the world’s population sees news from the AP. Founded in 1846, the AP today is one of the largest and most trusted sources of independent newsgathering. The AP considers itself to be the backbone of the world’s information system, serving thousands of daily newspaper, radio, television, and online customers with coverage in text, photos, graphics, audio and video.
See stories by The Associated Press
Related Content